Beauty in the Stars (Rewrite)
by AllyNP
Summary: Seventeen year old, Ella, has her life changed forever when Larten Crepsley saves her from the vampaneze, Murlough. Join us on this adventure of hurt, discovery, and love. This story will contain triggering events that may upset some and will be rated M. Read with caution.
1. Chapter 1

Disclaimer: I don't not own the Cirque du Freak series. This story will be rated M for later sexual scenes, violence, and slight foul language. This is a rewrite of my story I wrote 4 years ago but abandoned. I have the whole story planned out now and I hope to post chapters at least once every other week. I hope you enjoy my story as we go along this adventure of heartache, self discovery, and love 3

Prologue

What is the true definition of beauty? Who really has the right to define it? Beauty isn't defined by a persons appearance, but of what truly lies inside. Deep in the depths lies a girl that contains more beauty than one could imagine.

Ella lives in a small town with her mom. She's only a couple of months away from graduating high school, and in just a few months, she will be living her dream of living in New York and attending Juilliard. She has been singing since she was three and has the voice of an angel. She longs to be a part of the Metropolitan Opera Company. Up until recently, her life had been seemingly perfect. She had good grades and friends everywhere she went. What she didn't notice was the man that has been lurking in the shadows watching her every move for the past month.

This man had been traveling and had stopped in a small town at a theatre to find a victim to feed on when he heard one of the most beautiful sounds he had ever witnessed. He snuck into the back of the auditorium to see what it was, and there on the stage he saw a young girl about the age of 17 singing one of Puccini's famous opera arias. She was a stunning sight to see. She wore a light blue gown that matched her piercing eyes. She had pale skin and dark brown wavy hair that was hanging loosely down to her waist. The man was absolutely mesmerized. He had to have her. She finished her song and the crowd burst into applause. She bowed graciously to the audience and smiled as she looked around at the crowd. He slipped out the back before he could be seen and waited in the shadows until she emerged. About 10 minutes later she came out with a bouquet of flowers in her arms and a group of people around her praising her performance. She humbly thanked them and got into a car with an older woman and drove off.

The man followed them to a small house in the middle of nowhere. Perfect, he thought. That night after watching her every move, he snuck into the house while everyone was asleep and went to her room. He walked over to her bed and reached out and caressed her soft skin. She smelt so good, but for some reason her didn't want to feed on her. He sat and watched her all night until she arose early in the morning to get ready for school.

For the next month he followed her everywhere and became more and more obsessed with this young woman. He knew what he wanted to do with her. He would not feed from her or kill her, but make her his companion and mate. He had many fantasies of being with the girl intimately and couldn't wait much longer. One night when the girls mother was out (he never noticed a man so he figured her father was out of the picture) he snuck into the house.

Ella cooked her a dinner and sat in front of the tv to watch a movie and relax while her mom had gone out on a date. She figured she would be out for a while so she took the time to relax and enjoy being alone. Halfway through the movie, she got up to go to the bathroom. She did her business and went to the sink and washed her hands. As she was doing so she saw a shadow run by the door. Startled, she proceeded cautiously to the door and peered out. She screamed slightly as she saw a man standing in the hallway.

...

The night of her senior recital, Ella was floating on cloud nine. She was the last one to preform and received a standing ovation not just from the people in the crowd, but the representatives from the very school she dream of going to since she was four. Her heart soared as the came up to her and congratulated her on a successful performance and told her they would be in touch. Her dream was finally about to come true! Years and years of practice and hard work was finally about to pay off! Never had she imagined that the staff at Juilliard would think twice about her because of her coming from a small town and not being well known. Her mom had sent in a video clip of her performance in their small community production of the Phantom of the Opera. After tonight, her dreams seemed so close!

One month later, she received a call from the director of Juilliard wanting to know if she could fly there for a live audition and interview. Elated, her and her mom screamed for joy after she hung up from the call. Withe tears streaming from both of their eyes, they embraced as her mother congratulated her only child in coming so close to achieving her dreams. "I hate that I have to go in to work tonight, but tomorrow I promise we will celebrate!" As her mom got ready and left for work, she sang and danced around the house in pure joy, unknowing of the danger that lurked right outside of her door.

That night she cooked herself supper and rewarded herself by watching her favorite movie. After going to the restroom, she was startled by a figure that ran past the doorway and stood in the hallway. This was the moment her world crashed down.

...

Larten Crepsley came to his hometown often. It saddened him in a way to see how much it had changed in the past 100 years. Yet, he always visited. He was on vacation from the cirque this week. One night he went out hunting when he smelled something. Something that smelled of death. He followed the smell and found a dead body, but there was another smell that accompanied the body. It was the smell of the vampaneze! He inspected the body and saw it had been completely drained of blood. What was more disturbing than that was that this body was fresh.

...

"Don't be afraid of me. I do not wish to hurt you. Murlough does not want to mess up such a beautiful face." The man said in a low voice. Ella looked him over and noticed his skin was a slight purple color and his eyes were blood red. He slowly started to approach her. She took a few step back and then was stopped by the wall. She couldn't find words to speak. Chills went down her body as the man spoke again. "I've been watching you. I need you..." He pressed his body again her petite one and brought his thick, burly hand to her cheek. Ella whimpered in fear as he brought his face closer to hers. She quickly turned away only to have him press his lips against her ear. "First, I will blood you. A fragile human would not last long considering the plans I have for you." He growled. His hot breath in her ear sent chills down her spine. So many things were going through her head at this moment, trying to process what the man called Murlough said and it's meaning.

Snapping out of her petrified state, she looked around for an escape. There was no where to run, but she wasn't going to give up. He took a step back and she bolted forward and tried to go past him, but stretched his arm up and picked her up. "It's easier my dear not to struggle." He whispered wickedly into her ear. She tried to beg, "Please no..." She felt tears stinging in her eyes threatening to spill over. He threw her to the ground and pinned her down. "Now this will hurt for a few seconds, but I need to turn you before I take you. I tend to be a bit... rough. This way you will be stronger. Then my dear, we will begin our lives together," he growled. He ran his hands down her body, grazing her small breasts, making his growing erection more and more evident. She was confused by his words, but more terrified by his actions. Panic really stuck her now and she tried begging again. "Don't do this.."

Still on top of her, he grabbed one of her hands and put his finger tips to hers. "Get ready my dear." He then dug his nails into her fingertips. She did not scream out, knowing the worst was yet to come. He did the same to his hand then returned the other hand to hers. She wasn't ready for what came next. Pain radiated throughout her body. She let out an ear piercing scream as the pain reached her heart. This must be the end.

...

Larten had been tracking the vampaneze and followed his scent to one place in particular. A small house in the woods, secluded from others. He seemed particularly mesmerized by the young girl that resided there. He treaded carefully one night, not wanting his foe to know of his presence. Suddenly he heard a agonizing scream. He burst into the house to find the vampaneze known as Murlough on top of a young girl, blooding her. He sprang into action lunging at him and ramming him into the wall. "Crepsley!" The vampaneze gasped. Larten took his razor sharp nails and slashed them across his face. This angered Murlough he grabbed Larten and wrestled him to the ground. They struggled and got a few punches in on each other before Larten threw him across the room. The vampire reacted quickly and flitted to the kitchen and grabbed a knife. Murlough froze knowing it would not be a good idea to go against the skilled vampire without a weapon. "We will meet again Crepsley," he sneered. He looked over at the beauty still lying on the floor, "I will have you one day."With that, Larten aimed at his target and threw the knife. It barely missed him as the vampaneze disappeared into the night.

Ella, still on the floor, stared at the man that saved her. She concluded that he was not an ordinary man however. He demonstrated such strength and speed that was impossible for a human. Just then, she was blinded by a searing pain in her head. She cried out in pain as everything around her started to blur and the sounds around her amplified. "Please help me!" Larten knew she didn't have much time until the vampaneze blood settled in her veins.

He ran up to her and calmly said,"I've got to re-blood you." This was all he said because he knew she didn't understand what was happening. He cut his fingertip and placed them against hers as his blood flowed into her. She cried out again, as this would be much more painful than before due to the two different bloods fighting for dominance over each other. Larten tensed up as he knew the pain was coming for him as well. Just as he finished that thought, the pain spread through him and his vision began to slowly diminish as they both passed out.

...

Ella woke feeling dizzy and of course, very confused. She looked around and her eyes stopped on the man who had saved her and was now lying unconscious on the floor. He was a very well built with pale skin and a red crop of hair on his head. He had a long scar that attached to the corner if his mouth that extended up in a way that looked as if he had an elongated smile. She tried to get up, but she had another dizzy spell that sent her right back down. She began to realize her vision was sharper and she could her the crickets chirping outside.

"What is going on?" She asked in a panicked voiced. Larten started to wake up feeling confused. He saw the girl and his memory started to come back. Well, he thought, at least we both survived. She noticed him stirring and became afraid again. He stood and reached out his hand to her. She didn't move. "I won't hurt you." He said calmly.

"What has happened to me?" She panicked. Knowing the other man's intentions were obviously not pure, she found it hard to trust this man either. "Take my hand and I will explain." He replied.

She hesitated but took his hand as he pulled her up to her feet. His hand was so cold yet she didn't want to let go. She knew she probably shouldn't trust the man considering everything that happened, but for some reason, she did. She straitened her posture as he pulled her up and she looked up at the man that was easily a foot taller than her. Despite the scars and rough features, she found a softness in his eyes. Her intuition was telling her that she could trust him. Their gazes were locked and they couldn't find it in themselves to look away. Even though he could see the terror in her eyes, he could feel the calm as well. He noticed that she was not letting go of his hand so he just tightened his grip and let her to the couch. "

My name is Larten Crepsely and I am a vampire."

A/N Thanks for reading! I hope you've enjoyed this first chapter! All I ask is to be patient with my characters and their developments. Please review and keep me encouraged to post more chapters! Haha! ~Ally


	2. Chapter 2

**A/N thank you so much to those that followed and reviewed! It's really encouraging to know people are interested!**

 **Also, I forgot to mention this before, but this story will visit some very dark places that may be triggering to some. Please read my story with caution!**

 **Disclaimer: I don't not own the Cirque du Freak series.**

Chapter 2

Larten sat Ella down and told her about vampires and the vampaneze. How do you even begin to tell this much to someone, who just one hour ago, was living a completely normal life and was looking forward to the future. He wasn't sure how much information she had processed. He felt her body tremble still from the encounter. After he finished, there was a long moment of silence. Ella continued to stare at nothing while pondering this new information and then asked the question that had been gnawing at her. "What happens now?"

Larten thought about this question carefully. "You know it would be dangerous to continue your life with humans, correct?" For some reason this hadn't crossed her mind at all. She snapped out of her trance. "What do you mean? Couldn't I stay with my mom and then go to school and just drink some blood every now and then to satisfy the craving?!"

"It is much more complicated than that. You have vampire blood in you now. You cannot return to your old life. It is too dangerous even if you do feed frequently. You need guidance. It will take much time to control your thirst and you will likely kill those around you in the process. Do you understand?" He asked firmly.

"Yes, but _you_ don't understand! I'm only 17, I have my whole life ahead of me! I'm auditioning for Juilliard in less than three weeks! It's my dream to go there! I can't give that up! Please, sir, I can't!" At this point she had grabbed his hand and held it against her in an attempt to get him to understand her desperation.

He felt her small hand around his and immediate felt remorse for not getting to Murlough sooner. "I am so sorry this has happened, but for the safety of the ones you love, you must leave them behind."

Still grasping his hand with hers, she brought her forehead to them and began to sob. It didn't take her long before she became hysterical. Larten did not have much experience with females, much less teenagers, but he knew she was in pain and needed to be comforted. He gently eased his hand from hers and placed it on her back and brought her in. She leaned in closed and rested her head on his chest while clutching his shirt. He brought his other hand up to her head and stroked her hair.

In all his years on earth, he had never experienced a moment like this. Not just with the current situation she was facing, but this feeling of compassion he felt for a complete stranger. He couldn't explain it, but he felt he was exactly where he was supposed to be. Like this meeting was meant to happen.

After she calmed down, she sat up and looked at Mr. Crepsley. Her eyes were red and swollen. "So what now?" She sniffled.

"I am willing to make you my assistant, if you would like. You could learn our ways and join our ranks."

"No offense, but that doesn't exactly sound very appealing." She said flatly.

"I'm not going to lie, the life of a vampire is a hard one. It is a life that is usually chosen. A human would start as a vampire's assistant and serve him by preparing food and other chores, and then in turn, he will learn the vampire ways and how to fight-"

"Fight?! Like in battles and wars?!"

"Yes and occasionally against other vampires in friendly combat."

Ella brought her head down to her hands, obviously feeling overwhelmed. "This is not the life for me."

"It is not as bad as it may seem. You will grow accustomed to it over time, with my guidance."

After a long moment of silence, Ella finally spoke. "Ok. Let me go pack my bag. "

"There is a problem there. We do not need anyone to come after you or come looking for you." He lifted he eyes to meet hers."The most practical thing to do would be to fake your death."

"...I can't do that to my mom. She's been through too much. Please..."

"This would be the best way... You will keep her safe and give her a chance of happiness again one day. She could mourn you and move on."

"You're right... I know you are, I just wish I didn't have to do this." She spoke quietly becoming more and more defeated by the minute.

"Nor do I. Trust me, but this is the best way."

"How?" Was the only word she managed to get out.

Mr. Crepsley told her about the potion he would give her that would take away her ability to move and make her body appear as if it were deceased. She merely nodded in understanding in fear that if she were to speak, she would break out into hysterics again. Mr. Crepsley left for an hour or so to retrieve the potion, and left Ella alone with her thoughts.

So quickly, your world as you knew it would turn completely around. In just a single moment, everything you ever came to knew, could be completely changed. Her head began to spin as everything that had just happened replayed over and over again. In an attempt to catch her breath, she ran outside to attempt to fill her lungs with fresh air.

" _Breathe_." She desperately told herself. When she was a child, her mother would tell her to look up at the stars when she was sad. " _There are a countless number of stars burning bright in the night time sky, bringing light to an otherwise dark world. Look at these beautiful stars when you feel down. They'll always remind you of the light in your life."_

As Ella heard her mother's words in her head, she turned her eyes to the nighttime sky. Nothing. She could not see any light through the clouds. It was indeed, a dark night.

Mr. Crepsley returned to find Ella sitting on the porch, head in her hands. She looked up when she heard him approach."Ready?" He asked.

She shook her head 'no' but responded nonetheless, "I guess. How exactly is this going to work?"

"You drink this potion and it will numb your body to all sensations. I will then break your neck and then stage a scene to where they would believe you simply fell down the stairs. In the funeral home, I will mend your broken neck and soon after you will be buried. During that time you will begin to feel sensations again and I will dig you up from your grave." He looked up at her and saw her eyes wide in horror. "I believe I have calculated the correct dose for your size, so I am sure everything will turn out ok." He wasn't exactly one hundred percent sure, but he needed to make it appear that way in an attempt to try and ease her worries.

They walked back inside and stood at the bottom of the stairway. "Everything will be fine." He reassured.

Her blue eyes mets his. "I trust you." She replied. Once again, she didn't know why, but she did. Amidst the chaos of the unexpected events she felt there was one thing right about it. Meeting Larten Crepsley.

...

The pain she felt when she heard her mother's screams and pleas for her to wake up compared to nothing she had ever felt in this world. The funeral was a blur, and hearing everyone's kind words seemed so surreal. Everyone was referring to her as 'gone' when she was in fact still there. The darkness inside the coffin resembled the darkness of the night that all of this had begun. Not just the absence of light, but the emotional darkness as well. Her life as a human ended, but yet in this coffin, as new life was about to begin.

Ella had gained full sensation again by the time Mr. Crepsley dug down to her coffin and opened the lid. She sat up and realized how stiff she really was. He offered his hand to her and pulled her up slowly. She suddenly got dizzy and stumbled into his arms. He effortlessly lifted her up and out of the hole. "Take a few minutes to walk around and get rid of the stiffness while I fill this hole."

Ella took a few minutes to walk around and work out the kinks. Though her sensations returned, she still felt numb. The past couple of days had taken a toll on her and she felt she had no more tears to cry.

When Mr. Crepsley was done, he went and stood beside her.

"Where do we go now?" She asked without emotion.

"Not sure. I figured we would just flit for a while and see where we end up." He told her.

"Flit? Is that what you call running fast like I had seen you do before? Wait, can I do that too?" There was almost a hint of excitement in her voice. Almost.

"Not yet. You can run faster but not quite as fast as a full-blooded vampire. I will carry you on my back for the time being. So when you're ready."

Ella took one last look around and sighed. This was the end her life and the beginning of a new one. She placed herself on his back and wrapped her arms around his neck. "Make sure you hold on tight." He told her.

She tightened her grip as he started running. He started off slow, and then faster and faster until he was at full-speed. Ella was so stunned by how fast the world was passing by her, she had to remind herself to breathe. The feeling of flitting gave her a sense of hope for some reason. Hope that maybe vampirism isn't as bad as it seems. Ella relaxed a bit after a while and laid her head on his shoulder.

After what seemed for a few minutes, which was actually over an hour, Mr. Crepsley began to slow down and eventually stopped. He let Ella down and turned to face her. She felt like she was still moving and stumbled a litter but he caught her. "That was amazing." She said wondrously. He looked down at her and smirked. Her long hair was wild from the wind.

They stopped at a secluded hotel that seemed to be in the middle of nowhere. They got into their room and Ella was relieved to see there were two beds. Normally, the idea of traveling with an older man would make her extremely uncomfortable, but Mr. Crepsley was a gentleman. I mean, he has had multiple opportunities to take advantage of her, but he has shown nothing but pure intentions in taking her under his wing.

"Get some rest and we can start our lessons tomorrow." He said. Ella nodded her head in acknowledgement and went to bed.

...

"You are not focusing!" Mr. Crepsley said with annoyance. "Concentrate on following my movements. If you can not track me, you will stand no chance in combat." This statement didn't really phase her seeing as she had no desire to engage in combat. Regardless, she took her stance and focused her eyes on her mentor. He once again disappeared before her eyes. She whipped her head around to find him behind her. "I could have killed you in that amount of time!" Ella continued to keep her mouth shut and prepared herself again. This time he appeared to her left. She groaned in frustration.

"This isn't working." He sighed and walked out of the hotel room, slamming the door as he went. Ella was left in solitude and threw herself on her bed and let the tears flow. She didn't want to disappoint him after all that he had done for her, but this just wasn't her. She never got into a fight back at home. Hell, she had never even gotten into a verbal fight before. She always tried hard to get along with everyone, she would never have to physically fight someone!

Mr. Crepsley had been gone for a half an hour and Ella decided to prepare dinner for them. By the time he returned, the room was filled with a delicious fragrance. He had gone out to calm himself down. She was so infuriating and knew if she would just try, she would get it, but instead she let herself remain uncaring and distracted.

He had to tell himself to put himself in her shoes and be more sympathetic towards her situation. He was afraid taking her hunting would overwhelm her even more, so he collected some blood in vials and brought them back to their room.

"I must apologize for being short with you. This is a new experience for me as well and I should learn to be more patient with you." He said sincerely.

"I'm sorry for not trying like I should." She said quietly. Mr. Crepsley felt a pang of guilt. Trying to change the subject, he said,"food smells good! What is it?" She perked up slightly at this. "Pan seared chicken breast with broccoli and carrots."

They prepared themselves a plate and began to eat. "It is positively delicious!"

"Thanks. My mom and I used to cook a lot together. About a year ago, she had to start working night shifts and we weren't able to any more. I miss her..."

"You and your mother were very close I assume." She nodded. "What of your father?" He asked before he realized it. He was afraid he may have asked a personal question too quickly.

"He died in a car accident 6 years ago. He was coming home from work one night and was hit head on by a drunk driver." She told him quietly.

"I am terribly sorry to hear that." He stated, not knowing what else to say. The rest of dinner was eaten in silence.

...

Time slowly went by for Ella. She learned to consume the vials of blood Mr. Crepsley brought her in order to keep her strength up.

Mr. Crepsley was nice, but they really didn't talk much. It wasn't that she was shy, she just didn't have anything to say. She was burrowing deeper and deeper into depression.

Two weeks later, after training her eyes, he felt it was time they moved on to a more combative training. "Now that you can follow my movements for the most part, see if you can strike me with your hand and feet the way I've been showing you."

"I don't want to hurt you though."

He almost laughed,"you do not have to worry about that my dear."

Ella remained emotionless and got into the fighting stance. "Ready?" He asked. She nodded in response and the began. Mr. Crepsley flitted to her left side. She easily tracked him and threw a punch. Of course, she missed because he flitted out of the way. This went on for several minutes with no success until he stopped. "You are tracking me well for only being a half vampire, but you are not making any contact. Try to anticipate my moves. Be one step ahead of me. Do you think you can try that?"

She nodded wordlessly. They began again and no progress was being made. "Ok, let us move on to something different. I will attempt to teach you to block an attack."

 _Will this ever end?_ Ella questioned in her head.

They proceeded on with the training and he showed her ways to block various attacks. She seemed to pick up on it well enough, even though they were just going through the motions slowly. He noted that she didn't appear to be all here emotionally and decided to finish up for the night.

The next few nights went in a similar fashion. Little progress, if any, was being made. Maybe we should actually fight in combat so that she will see how real this all is, he thought to himself. Maybe this will begin to make her take this all seriously finally.

He led her out into the moonlight forest. "Now tonight you will be applying everything you have learned." From his red coat, he pulled out two knives. Her eyes got big in fear.

"Knives?! You can't be serious!"

"Oh but I am. In the real world, your enemies will almost always have a weapon on them and you must fend against them."

"No! I won't! I can't!" She said fearfully.

"You will! I am tired of you giving a half-assed effort!"

His rising anger frightened her more. She timidly took the knife in her hand. "Ready yourself." He barked at her. She slowly took her stance wile avoiding his gaze. "Look at me!"

He flitted behind her unexpectedly. "I would have killed you just now! Try again!" He flitted again and this time she was able to follow him. When she faced him, he had his knife raised and threatening to strike. She let out a short scream of fear and blocked her face with her arms.

"Strike at me!" He yelled and she took her stance again. He once again flitted with his knife raised. When he stopped, she pitifully slung her knife several inches away from her target.

"Dammit, woman! FIGHT!" With that, he brought the blade down and sliced her cheek across her jawline. She let out a small cry and he immediately regretted it. She looked up at him bleary eyed as blood trickled down onto her shirt.

"Ella, I-" He didn't get to finish his thought because she took off running.

She had no idea where she was going. She didn't really care and she didn't want to stop. She ran and ran, curving through the trees until she tripped over a stump. She came down hard, but wasn't injured. She didn't want to get up so she laid her head down and sobbed. She knew she wasn't meant for this life, yet he pushed her. She should be home in bed. She should be with her mom and her friends. She should be preparing for her auditions, and dreaming of her future. Her future that had been shattered by one unfortunate meeting. Her future that was now as dark as the deepest point in the ocean, and as empty as her heart felt. Her hyperventilating was causing her extremities to go numb.

She then remembered the knife in her hand. Could it really be that easy to just end it? She knew Mr. Crepsley would be happier if she wasn't here. She's been nothing but a disappointment to him. He could move on with his life and be burdened by her no longer...

...

"Dammit!" Mr. Crepsley held his head with his white-knuckled fists. He knew he needed to exercise patience with the the girl, yet he let his annoyance get the best of him. All he wanted was for her to put forth a decent effort. He knew she had given up a lot, but it's been three weeks now! A memory came to his mind:

 _"I'm auditioning in less than three weeks! It's my dream to go there! I can't give that up! Please, sir, I can't!_

She had high hopes and dreams, and an even bigger future. Something he never really had when he was growing up. He wasn't sure what exactly she was auditioning for. He assumed it must be something involving music. Of what kind, he wasn't sure. He looked back on their short time together and saw he had never really given a real effort to get to know his new companion. For three weeks, he pushed the vampiric ways on her and gave little to know consideration for her emotional state. Now he hasn't just hurt her emotionally, but physically as well. He went too far. He may not know her well, but he has seen the kind person that she was and her discomfort towards harming her mentor. He has to make this right. Who knows what she could be thinking now. He looked around and noticed her knife was missing. This wasn't good. He immediately took off in the direction she ran.

He found Ella on the ground, gripping the knife tightly and shaking. She didn't hear him approach and continued to hold her gaze on the weapon that she held up. He knelt down beside her and placed his hand on hers silently asking for her to lower it. She jumped slightly when he made contact and realized it was him.

"I am so sorry." He whispered. She timidly brought her eyes up to his showing the mark he had made.

How could I have done the to her? He asked himself. Such a delicate creature she was. He placed his other hand on the unscathed side of her face, tears welling up in his eyes."Please, Ella, forgive me... I'm so sorry..."

A tear trickled down his scarred cheek. "Please. I promise I will never harm you again." He rubbed his thumb along her cheek.

Coming out of her darkness, she released the knife. "I'm sorry." She said, still maintaining eye contact.

"There is nothing for you to be sorry for. The fault was mine entirely." He told her. "I should never lose my temper with you. Not after all that you have gone through."

These words made her feel the trusting connection she had initially felt with him again. She pulled herself up and hesitated as she closed the distance between them, throwing her arms around his neck into an embrace. He was stunned at first, not accustomed to close contact with others, but then brought his arms around her small figure and brought her close. He could feel her warm breath against his neck, sending chills down his spine. They held each other like that for a while.

When they released each other, Mr. Crepsley looked at her and was made aware of the gash on her face that he had caused again. Without thinking twice, he licked his thumb and traced it across her wound to heal it. To his surprise, she didn't flinch or pull away. She just closed her eyes and focused on the sensation of him touching her face again.

All too soon, the moment ended. "Forgive me?"

"Only if you forgive me as well... I'm sorry... You're right, I wasn't trying." She bit her lip and looked down.

"I now understand why though. I need to take into consideration your feelings."

"I just feel so wrong for this life. Forgive me for saying this, but even though I have you, I still feel lonely." She said sheepishly.

He chuckled slightly. "No need to apologize. I know this stuffy old bat can not be very entertaining." She looked up at him in a shy smile.

"I have an idea." He smiled at her and then proceeded to tell her about the Cirque du Freak.

"A wolf man?! I thought they were myths!" She thought about this a second and said under her breath,"well I thought vampires were too... What else? You said a snake boy? Does he have scales? Tell me more!"

Her excitement took him back! He didn't expect her to be so excited about his idea. Her eyes seemed to light up and sparkle an even brighter blue than before. This was the first time her really noticed how beautiful she is... Her eyes, her hair, her _lips_... He mentally slapped himself at that thought. She's only a child! He took her in to protect her and that's what he was going to do. He snapped into reality when he realized she was still talking. He smiled to himself.

"All you questions will be answered soon. Now let us return to the hotel so you may pack your bags. We will be leaving soon."

While flitting back to the hotel, Mr. Crepsley mentally connected with Mr. Tall to find their whereabouts. He found him and they went to pack.

They checked out of the hotel and got ready to flit. Before they did, Ella once again threw her arms around his neck to hug him. "Thank you." She whispered delicately in his ear. He didn't know how to react and pulled an arm around her to pat her on her back. He stood there awkwardly, smelling the strawberry scent of her shampoo until she finally released him.

She lowed her arms as she looked into his eyes. He was very attractive for an older man she observed. She suddenly felt her heart skip about beat and blushed slightly for think such a thing. Mr. Crepsley snapped out of it and broke the connection. She climbed on his back as the flitted away to the Cirque.


	3. Chapter 3

**Disclaimer: I don't not own the Cirque du Freak series.**

"Welcome to the Cirque du Freak." Mr. Crepsley and Ella were greeted by an abnormally tall man who was ironically called, Mr. Tall. They were camped outside of a small town and were working to set everything up for the show they were preparing tonight. "We are happy you have returned to us, Larten." He told her mentor as they shook hands. He then turned to her, "and we are pleased to have you join us, Ella."

Her eyes widened the the mention of her name. She looked over to Mr. Crepsley and silently asked, how did he know my name?! He just smirked in response to her.

"Thank you for allowing me to come here!" She said with a big smile across her face.

"The pleasure is all mine, my dear." He then turned to his old friend. "I have prepared an extra cot in Truska's tent for her. I also figured it would do well to pair her with Evra on the chores." He then turned back to her. "I hope you do not mind helping out around here."

"Not at all! Thank you so much, sir!" She was excited. "When can I meet everyone?"

"I will take you to meet Evra now if you would like. He can introduce you to the rest of the performers. Larten, would you like to preform tonight? Madam Octa has missed you." Ella wondered who Madame Octa was. _Must be his assistant_. She couldn't help but to feel a pang of jealousy thinking that the role of assistant was her job. She quickly cast the feeling aside and mentally laughed at herself for being so silly.

"Yes, I think I would like to. I will go and pay a visit to her now. Will you be alright with Mr. Tall?" He asked.

"Yes,sir!" She ran over the Mr. Tall's side, eager to go.

As they walked through the camp Ella asked, "What is Mr. Crepsley's act? Is he a magician?" Thinking of his impossible vampiric speed.

"While he does incorporate a little magic into his act, it is not the main show. His spider, Madam Octa, is. She is quite an unusual creature, nothing like an ordinary spider, and he is able to communicate with her to perform tricks." _Oh, a spider_! Now she really felt silly.

"No way! I can't wait to see that!" She couldn't stop smiling.

"Ah, here is young Evra Von. He is the one you will assist in the work around camp."

Ah, this must be the snake boy Mr. Crepsley mentioned. He was green with scales on every inch of his body with yellow green hair and piercing eyes. He appeared only a year or so younger than her. She was so enamored with his appearance, she almost didn't even notice that his hand was stretched out and he was making his introduction.

"Very nice to meet you, Ella!"

 _He knew my name, too?_ She laughed nervously and she took his hand and shook. "Nice to meet you, too!"

"I have assigned Ella to assist you with your chores. I am sure you would have no objection to this." Mr. Tall said.

"Not at all!" Evra turned back to Ella. "I actually just finished preparations for the show tonight and was going to get something to eat. Care to join me? I could introduce you to the other performers, too."

"That would be great!" Evra extended an arm to her in a gentlemanly manner and she took it graciously as they walked away.

"So welcome to the Cirque du Freak! I'm guessing you've never seen the show before?" She nodded her head 'no'. "Then you are in for a treat tonight! We have a wide variety of acts that are guaranteed to amaze you!"

"I can't wait!" As they were walking Ella kept stealing glances at Evra until he caught her. She blushed and looked away in shame. "Sorry." She apologized quietly.

Thankfully, Evra laughed at this. "No, trust me, it's ok. I know I'm quite the sight to behold!" He said as he continued to chuckle.

They stopped walking and she unhooked her arm from his. "No, no! It's just.. I've never seen anyone like you before and, um I find you... Kind of beautiful."

Evra snorted and broke out into a bigger laughter. He Ella turned a deeper shade of red.

"I'm sorry! I don't mean to laugh... I've been called many things in my life, but never that." He straightened himself up and looked at her again. "Do you really believe I am?" He asked seriously.

Ella then realized he must have experienced a good bit of cruelty in his life and began to feel pity for him. He could have snapped at her for staring. Instead, he was kind and patient with her and laughed it off. "Yes, I think you truly are." She said quietly as she met his eyes again.

"But I'm so different." He challenged.

Ella accepted his challenge as she filled with courage. "Different doesn't mean bad. Everyone is different in some way. I honestly think that's what makes us all beautiful. Our differences!" She smiled at him brightly.

"You sound like a Hallmark card." He joked with a new twinkle in his eye.

It was her turn to laugh. She took his arm again and pulled him to start walking again. "Come on, I'm starving!"

He led her into a large tent where they got their stew and sat down at the bench with a couple Cirque members. "Ella, this is Hans and Leah. They're both performers. Leah, is one of the assistants on stage and Hans can walk and run on his hands faster than any human can on their feet."

"Wow! Nice to meet you both!"

"Wait, so this is the Ella?" Hans asked.

Ella was astonished. "You make it sound is if I'm famous." _Everyone here seems to know me!_

"Well you kind of are!" Hans exclaimed.

She lowered her voice. "Is it because I'm a female vampire?"

He laughed. "It is rare to see a female vampire, but I do know a few. It's because you're such a young female vampire."

"I'm 17 though. Almost a legal adult! And I'm really only a _half_ vampire"

"Yes, but still that still very young for a _half_ vampire."

"-and you're hot!" Leah said unexpectedly, causing both Ella and Evra to choke briefly on their stew. Leah looked to Hans who was giving her an amused look. "What?" Leah questioned. "Other females vampires look unattractive and manly! Well, the one I met did. Anyway, hey! Maybe Mr. Tall would let you perform with us as another assistant! You could help us bring the wolf-man on stage. You definitely have the body for the costumes. We look sexy to peak the interest of the audience, since it mostly males."

This made Ella slightly uncomfortable after her run in with Murlough. She didn't care to peak any male's interest after his molestation of her. Still, she smiled politely at her. Evra thankfully changed the subject and they they ate their meals. They were soon talking and laughing amongst themselves when Mr. Crepsley walked up. He was pleasantly surprised to see Ella enjoying herself so far with other members. "Hello!" She greeted him, still half laughing.

Mr. Crepsley cleared his throat. "Sorry to disrupt the fun here. Ella, when you are done eating, I would like to take you to meet Truska. Perhaps she could assist you in finding new clothes for you to wear."

Ella had completely forgotten that she had been wearing the same white dress that she had been buried in. She realized how grungy she must have looked because she didn't even have a brushed to tame her long wavy hair with. She eagerly got up and said goodbye to her new friends.

"See you later, Ella!" Evra said with the same grin on his face that stayed there for the past hour.

As Mr. Crepsley led her through the camp, he looked over at her and noticed she was still smiling. "I take it you like it here so far."

"Yes, sir! I'm so glad you brought me here!"

Mr. Crepsley returned her smile as they made their way into a good sized tent. "Hello, Madame Truska. I brought you your new roommate and I was also wondering if you could assist her in finding new clothes."

The unusually beautiful woman stood up and came over to greet her with a big smile on her face, speaking in some kind of foreign language that resembled the sound a seal makes. Ella looked over to Mr. Crepsley, hoping he would translate, but he just shrugged.

Truska grabbed Ella's hand and dragged her out of the tent, leaving Mr. Crepsley behind. She brought her to another tent that held multiple wardrobes and a divider for changing. She stood there thinking for a minute and then went to one of them and pulled out a black dress and held it up to Ella.

"Oh, uh that's nice but do you have any casual wear? Something I could work in?" She asked shyly.

Truska smiled and said something in he language and went to another wardrobe and pulled out a pair of skinny jeans and red long sleeve shirt. That's more like it, Ella thought. Truska motioned for her to go try it on, but then stopped because she had forgotten something. She came back with a bra and panties, making Ella blush. "Umm thank you!"

She went behind the divider and saw there was a full length mirror. She was really taken back by her appearance. Her white dress was dirty with stains on it and her waist length hair seemed to be everywhere. Was really surprised her though was how pale and thin she was. She hadn't been eating like she used to when she turned and she didn't really consume much human blood. She was reluctant to accept the few vials her mentor would give her, but it was better than hunting someone down and drinking straight from the source. Blood was a necessary evil for vampires. She knew that, so that she didn't resist.

She quickly got out of her clothes, not wanting to look like a walking corpse any more, and got into her new ones. She felt like the jeans and shirt were a bit too tight, but she didn't want to complain because she was just grateful to get something clean on.

Truska clapped as she came out and said something else. She grabbed her hand and set her down in a chair. She pulled out a brush from one of the containers in the tent and started working on her hair. It was quite the task, but she finally got all the tangles out. She then pulled the sides of her hair back and secured it with a red clip. Then she grabbed her hand again and brought her over to the mirror to see herself.

She almost looked normal again! Still pale and skinny but her hair looked soft and flowing again. "Thank you so much, ma'am!" Truska brought her in for a tight hug and Ella accepted it graciously. She then shooed Ella away to ready herself for the show that was about to begin in a half hour.

She walked out of the tent and went to find Mr. Crepsley, but had a hard time finding anyone because everyone was getting ready for the show. She did spot Mr. Tall and approached him. "Ah, Ms. Ella, you are looking well. Everyone is preparing for the show. Perhaps you would like to find a seat and wait for the show to begin?"

"Yes, sir!" She smiled. She got to the performance area and saw the audience was already almost a full crowd. There were a few seats open in the front so she took her seat right in the center. Ella looked at the crowd and noticed Leah was right, the crowd was mostly male. Eventually, Mr. Tall came onto the stage.

"Ladies and gentlemen, welcome to the Cirque du Freak, home of the world's most remarkable human beings. We present acts both frightening and bizarre. Those who are easily scared should leave now. Without further adieu, I introduce you to... the wolf-man !" Mr. Tall walked off stage and the show began. Leah and another girl came in wheeling in a large cage containing the wolf-man. The other girl started to hypnotize him while Leah addressed the audience. "You must be very quiet. The wolf-man will not be able to hurt you as long as we control him, but a loud sound could wake him up, and then he would be deadly!" She looked at Ella and winked.

When they were ready, they stepped down from the stage and walked the creature through the audience, allowing anyone who wanted to stroke him do so. When they were a few rows behind Ella, there was a loud BANG! Suddenly the wolf-man began roaring and grabbed the man in front of him and _tore off his arm!_

Ella stood up horrified while others screamed and ran. Then out of nowhere Mr. Tall appeared and somehow calmed the creature down. The assist that hypnotized him before took control again and led him back to the cage. Now all eyes were on the pour armless soul that was screaming for help. Suddenly, he stopped and smiled.

Ella, who was still standing, thought the man was delirious until she looked back at his arm _. It was growing back!_ The audience gasped as the arm was complete again.

"Ladies and gentleman, Cormac Limbs!" Mr. Tall announced.

It took Ella a few minutes before she began to clap because she was so stunned. The audiences cheered loudly as Cormac walked on to the stage and Ella sat down again. This was going to be a great show!

As the acts went by, Ella was astounded more and more. She was seeing things she never knew was possible! Of course, she was always taught that vampires were a myth. It truly amazed her that there was an entire world outside her small town that held such wonderful things.

She enjoyed seeing Alexander Ribs, Rhamus Twobellies and Gertha Teeth, Sive and Seersa, and Hans Hands, but eagerly awaited Mr. Crepsley's act.

Truska's act finished and walked she off the stage. Mr. Crepsley was next! He suddenly appeared on the stage and the audience gasped, thinking he just magically appeared.

His eyes landed on Ella, sitting in the front row with the smile that had been accompanying her all night. "Good evening ladies and gentleman. I had hoped to present my usual act tonight, however, I am afraid I have bad news. It seems my spider, Madam Octa, has escaped from her cage and is missing. Use caution when retrieving your belongings from beneath your seats as she is very poisonous." The crowd got nervous and shifted in their seats and scanned the floor in search of the deadly creature. "Not to worry, tonight I will perform for you some startling illusions. First, a rabbit from a hat!" He took off his hat and let out a yelp as a giant, brightly colored spider popped out. The crowd gasped in panic for the man's life. Ella's eyes grew wide in fear.

"This is Madam Octa," he introduced nervously, "a bite from her could mean certain death." Ella started sweating and was frozen in her seat afraid that if she even breathed, the spider would attack. "If I could just get my flute, then I could-" He was cut off when Madam Octa jumped onto his chest. He tried to catch her with his hat, but the spider was too fast. Ella was about to get up from her seat, not really knowing what to do, but she had to do something! She frantically looked at Mr. Tall, who had been watching her. He merely smiled at her and gave her a discrete wink. Ella looked at Mr. Crepsley again. Madam Octa was now on the floor, narrowly escaping his foot as he stomped down. Ella's nails dug into the arm rests that she was gripping so tightly. Then she noticed a rhythm in his step. Somewhere amidst the chaos, he had retrieved his flute from his pocket and was now playing it. Madam Octa crawled up his leg all the way to hang off the flute with her web and she would swing to the music. Ella was still stunned. Unsure if she was awestruck by the phenomenal creature, or angry at Mr. Crepsley for not warning her ahead of time.

Madam Octa made an upward swing and Mr. Crepsley threw his head back, making her fly through the air. Instead of landing on the floor like I thought, she landed on Mr. Crepsley's mouth! Mr. Tall appeared on stage and was now playing the flute and made her spin a web in his mouth. When she was done she lowered herself, and Mr. Crepsley ate the spider web! He rubbed his belly and said, "Delicious. Nothing tastier than fresh spiderwebs. They are a treat where I come from." The, Leah led a goat out onto the stage where Mr. Crepsley commanded Madam Octa to bite him. First he was paralyzed, then was killed after the second bite. He then made Madam Octa push a ball across a table, then got her to balance on top of it. She did a series of extraordinary tasks that any human could.

When the act was finished and the crowd broke out into applause. When Mr. Crepsley bowed, he looked to Ella and gave her a smirk. She shook her head in disbelief, still smiling at him. Mr. Tall came back out and thanked everyone for coming. As people were getting up to leave, a scream echoed through the tent as Evra appeared. She had almost forgotten about him! People oohed and ahhhed at his unique appearance as he and his snake took the stage where he performed a series of dangerous tricks with his snake. At the end Mr. Tall came out again and said this really was the end and then disappeared into a puff of smoke. Ella was eager to find Mr. Crepsley so she jumped out of her seat and ventured off to find him.

After the show, Mr. Tall approached Mr. Crepsley while he was putting Madam Octa in her cage. "A great performance as usual tonight, my friend." He said.

"I am certainly delighted to be back. I always enjoy putting on a show for the audience." Mr. Crepsley responded.

Mr. Tall chuckled. "I am afraid you gave your new assistant quite the scare tonight."

"Oh?" He asked, encouraging him to continue.

"Indeed. She feared greatly for your life and was about to jump on the stage to save you."

Mr. Crepsley thought about this for a minute. "I did not realize she would have such a reaction towards me." She was about to attempt to save me?

"Yes, she seems to care for you a great deal. She _is_ very beautiful." Mr. Tall watched his friend closely.

"Yes, well, I did save her life and I am her guardian now." Mr. Crepsley snapped as he put an emphasis on the word guardian. He was quite irritated that he may have been implying anything impure could transpire between him and his assistant.

"Forgive me, my friend. I meant no ill intentions by my words." Mr. Tall said.

"I know this. I just-" he stopped himself when he saw Mr. Tall's eyes focus on something behind him. It was Ella.

"I will leave you with you assistant as I must find Rhamus and discuss his consumption of our tent rods..." Mr. Tall said as he walked off. Ella chuckled and turned her attention to her mentor.

This was the first time he really got to see her since she got new clothes. She looked quite radiant wearing his favorite color..."Did you enjoy the show tonight?" He asked, distracting himself from the thought.

"Oh gosh, where do I start? It was incredible! Every act left me in awe! Especially Madame Octa. How on earth did you train her to do that?!"

"I communicate with her through telepathy." He said proudly.

"By using the flute? Then how did you control her at the begining?"

"I do not really need the flute to do so, it just merely adds as a distraction to the audience. I was never truly in danger."

"You're a jerk!" She said slightly amused as she pushed him playfully. She didn't want to let him know how angry she actually was for scaring her so badly.

Mr. Crepsley chuckled. "I apologize. Would you like to meet Madam Octa?"

"Yes please!" She said excitedly.

He led her to the tent he kept her in and got her from her cage. Ella got closer and saw how beautiful she truly was. Such bright colors! Ella wasn't particularly fond of spiders, but she wasn't scared of them like other girls were either. Madame Octa was different. She was definitely a sight to behold!

"Would you like to hold her?" Mr. Crepsley asked.

"Is it safe? What if she doesn't like me?" She asked nervously.

"I am sure she would love you. I have asked her not to harm you."

"Ok..." Mr. Crepsley placed Madam Octa in her palm. "...wow...she's so beautiful." Ella brought her up eye-level so she could see her better. Madam Octa stretched out a leg and rested it on Ella's nose causing her to giggle.

"I've never seen her take to a person so easily. Not even with me."

"Really?" Mr. Crepsley nodded in affirmation. She played with Madam Octa for a few minutes, showering her with praises. After she handed her back to Mr. Crepsley, she looked up at him with a serious expression on her face. "Thank you so much for bringing me here."

"You are truly happy here?" He asked, meeting her eyes again after placing his spider back in the cage.

"Yes. I truly am. You have done so much for me. I will never be able to thank you enough." She now had tears in her eyes.

His heart was full. "You are most welcome." He smiled at her, captivated by her bright eyes. They held each others gazes for a few moments longer until she finally spoke

"I should probably get some sleep now. I start on my chores with Evra tomorrow!"

"Indeed you do... Good night, Ella." Neither of them not really wanting the night to end

"Good night, Mr. Crepsley." With that, she left to find her tent.

As she laid in bed waiting to fall asleep, she thought about everything that had happened since that night. Everything that Mr. Crepsley had done for her. The only thing he had ever asked of her was to try, and she had denied him that. She is a vampire now. There is no changing that. The only thing left she can do, is try to be the best vampire she can be. She will learn the vampire way and even learn to _fight_. It's the least she can do for Mr. Crepsley. It's time for her to step up, and that is exactly what she will do. No more weak punches and no more pathetic tears. This is her destiny now.

 **A/N Thank you so much for reading! I'm sorry it took longer to post this chapter. I had to get it just right! Please follow and review, as it is my fuel to keep writing!**


	4. Chapter 4

Ella woke the next day with a new fire burning in her. She still had another hour before she was supposed to start her chores with Evra and she was going to take advantage of that time. She went to the tent that held all the extra costumes and clothing and she looked for something old she could wear. She found an old t-shirt and shorts and put them on. Mr. Crepsley mentioned that vampires often go without shoes, causing them to have extra tough feet. So that's what she will do. She tied up he hair and left the tent.

She started running in the direction of the city as fast as she could. Vampires were strong. Now she will be, too. She pushed herself as much as she could. When the reached the city limits, she turned around and ran back. She didn't know how much she would love running. It gave her time to think. When she got back, she realized she must have lost track of time, because she found Evra already starting on their chores.

"Oh my gosh...I'm so sorry...I'm late!" She said, completely out of breath.

Evra laughed. "It's ok, I just finished milking the venom from my snake. You look like you just ran a marathon!...and barefoot? You must be taking this vampire thing seriously!" He said still chuckling.

"I am! So what's next on the agenda?"

"Well we need to feed the wolf-man. Come on, let's go!"

The wolf-man roared when he saw them coming. He shook the bars and lunged at them. "Why is he so vicious?" Ella asked as Evra tossed him a large chunk of raw meat, which he grabbed midair and bit into.

"Because he's a real wolf-man, no just a hairy guy. He's half human, half wolf? Evra said.

"Isn't it cruel to keep him caged up?" I asked, throwing him another piece of meat.

"If we didn't, he'd run free and kill people. The mix of human and wolf blood has driven him mad. If he was free, he'd murder all the time."

"Isn't there a cure?" She asked, feeling sorry for him.

"There isn't a cure because it isn't a disease. It's just how he was born. Kind of like me."

Ella started to feel regret for bringing it up now. "But you aren't a monster."

"But I was caged as one. I didn't always live at the Cirque du Freak." He told her that he had been born to ordinary parents. They were horrified when they saw him. They abandoned him at an orphanage, where he stayed until an evil circus owner bought him at the age of four.

"Those were the bad days," he said quietly. "He used to beat me and treat me like a real snake. He kept me locked up in a glass case and let people pay to look at me and laugh." Ella's heart broke for him.

He continued to tell her he was with the circus for seven long, miserable years, touring small towns, being made to feel ugly and freakish and useless until Mr. Tall finally came to the rescue.

"He showed up one night and stood by my cage for a long time, not saying a word. The circus owner came, thinking he was a rich man interested in buying me. He gave him a price and waited for his answer. Mr. Tall didn't answer for a few minutes. Then his left hand grabbed the circus owner by the neck. He squeezed once and that was the end of him. Mr. Tall opened my cage and said 'Let's go, Evra.' I think he can read minds, which is how he knew my name."

Evra was quiet after that. He had a far away look in his eyes. Ella came in and wrapped her arms around him, resting her head on his chest. Evra's heart picked up pace slightly as he embraced her.

"So what's your story? No offense, but you don't exactly seem like the type of person that would want to be a vampire." He asked laughing slightly.

Ella laughed nervously in return. "You're right. This isn't a life I would have chosen for myself." She was now looking at the ground and was kicking the dirt.

"So you were forced to become one?" He asked in slight horror.

"Yeah... Do you know about the vampaneze?

"You mean the murderous brothers of the vampires?"

"That's them. Well, on named Murlough broke into my home one night and blooded me. Mr. Crepsley didn't get there in time to stop it, so he blooded me into a half vampire to override the vampaneze blood." She told him.

"I didn't even know you could do that... So why did Murlough blood you to begin with?"

Ella thought about this for a second. She reviewed the events in her mind and remembered Murlough's rough hands running down her body. She visibly shivered at this memory and Evra noticed. "I think he just wanted a...companion to keep him company." She didn't hide the disgust in her voice. She nervously looked up at him, waiting for his response. He understood what she was implying.

"That's disgusting... I'm sorry. What was you life like before that?"

"Well it was pretty good... My dad passed away when I was 11, so it was just my mom and I. We were really close." She paused to think about this and then continued. "We lived in a small town where everyone knew everybody. I was about to graduate and go to college... I was supposed to audition for my dream school this week, actually. It was my dream to be a part of the Metropolitan Opera one day," she didn't say any of this in sadness, just as a matter of a fact. "But, hey, fate had a different plan for me." She said with a smile.

"I'm sorry you had to become a vampire, but I'm really glad to have met you. I think we're going to be great friends." He said, returning her smile. "Indeed we will be!" She said happily. She hooked her arm through his and they continued walking through the camp, seeing who needed help.

Ella and Evra had a lot of time to spend together and she enjoyed getting to know some of the other members when they sat down and had lunch. Now they sun had set and she went to find Mr. Crepsley.

He he just woken up and was coming out of his tent when she found him. "Good evening, sir!" She said enthusiasticly, causing him to smile.

"And good evening to you as well. How was your day?"

"It was great!" She told him about her chores with Evra and all the friends she was making.

"I am happy to hear that you are enjoying your time here. Are you ready for you lessons tonight? I thought I could educate you more on the history of vampires."

She looked down at the ground nervously. "Oh, that would be nice sir, but I was wondering if you would teach me to fight as well?"

When she raised her eyes to meet his, he smirked slightly. "You are sure?" She nodded. "Very well, then."

...

"The improvement you have made from before is miraculous." Mr. Crepsley said as she managed to strike him in the stomach. With enough concentration, not only was she able to track him easily, but she also was able to notice small details of his actions that would give away his next attack. When he placed his left leg behind him, he was about to kick with it. When his knuckles would turn white when his hands were clenched, he was preparing to punch. Little things like this allowed her to stay one step ahead and counter his attack.

She only made contact a couple of times, but he was still extremely proud of her improvement. "You have done very well tonight." He said when they finished. "I think you will make a great vampire." He saw her eyes light up as he said this. He had no idea how encouraging his words really were to her.

There were still a couple of hours to go before the show tonight. As they were about to walk back to camp, Mr. Crepsley saw that she looked like she wanted to ask something. "Something is on your mind." He observed to her.

Ella looked down at the ground and placed her hands behind her back. "I hope it wouldn't seem intrusive if I asked you... Well, why you became a vampire." She nervously looked up at him, hoping he wouldn't be angry at her asking a personal question like that.

He merely smiled at her, but then grew serious. "Are you sure you would want to know this? It is a dark story and you may find yourself learning things you did not want to know."

Ella thought for a moment and then responded. "Yes, would like to really get to know you since we will be spending a lot of time together."

"Very well. Let us take a seat." That sat down in the grass facing each other. Ella looked at him eagerly, waiting for him to begin.

"I was born 1791 in the same small town as you. I had a large family, but was closest with my cousin, Vur Horston, whose had been adopted into our family following the deaths of his parents. When I turned 8, Vur and I were sent to work in a textiles factory under a foreman named Traz. Together Vur and I loosened the fibres of silkworm cocoons for repurposing. In the factory, they would daubed our heads with different color dyes for each department of the factory for easy identification. This is why my hair is the color that it is." He paused a second to prepare himself to continue. "In 1803, Traz murdered Vur while taking his anger out on him. Consumed with rage, I retalited, murdering Traz before running away." This may have frightened Ella, but Mr. Crepsley couldn't tell if it did because she sat there looking at him with the same expression she had earlier. This encouraged him to go on. "Seeking refuge in a local graveyard, I met Seba Nile, who I soon learned was a Vampire. Realizing that I was in need of guidance, Seba offered me to become his assistant. I accepted, and traveled with Seba for years. It took me a while to become who I am today."

"During the performance last night, you said you ate spiderwebs where you came from?"

"Ah, yes. When I sought refuge in the graveyard, I was starving and spotted a cluster of cob webs. That's when Seba saw me and asked if they were a delicacy where I came from." He chuckled as he said this. Ella smiled and they sat in silence for a moment while she took it all in. "Well thank you for sharing this with me."

"I hope I have not frightened you with my past. It was a different world back then." He said sadly.

"I understand though. You loved your cousin and Traz was evil." She contemplated whether she should ask the next question on her mind, and decided to go ahead. "Is that the only time you have ever killed?"

He got up from his seated position and offered her his hand. He could tell she was in deep thought. She took it and stood up. "No unfortunately, but I promise to share that with you another time."

She nodded in understanding. "We should head back and prepare for the show. Mr. Tall mentioned he would like you to sell souvenirs tonight." They walked back to camp together, discussing the upcoming show. Though she learned that her mentor had committed murder, she was still not afraid of him. She trusted him more than anyone else at this point. Oddly enough, she looked at him with a new profound amount of respect and she was grateful that he was her mentor.


	5. Chapter 5

**Disclaimer: I do not own the Cirque du Freak series.**

"And you're sure I won't kill him, right?" Ella asked nervously as she looked at the unconscious man Mr. Crepsley had just knocked out.

"You know I would not allow for that to happen." He stated as he placed a hand on her back and gently pushed her forward.

For the past month, Ella had been running every morning and building up her strength. Her lessons were going great as well. She was becoming quicker and was improving on her ability to predict his moves. She decided it was time now to feed like a vampire. No more vials of blood collected by Mr. Crepsley.

"Just make a small incision here on his neck," he pointed to the spot, "and do not worry, you will not hurt him." He said, knowing she was afraid she would.

Ella nodded in understanding and took a deep breath. With the nail of her index finger, she made a small cut in the place Mr. Crepsley indicated. She looked at him again with uncertainty, but he nodded in encouragement. She lowered he mouth to the cut and sucked the salty liquid down her throat. It was different from drinking it from vials. It was warm and fresh... and oh so good. She felt after a while that she had gotten enough and withdrew from the man. "Very good." Mr. Crepsley said after he rubbed spit on the wound to heal it.

Ella sighed in relief. "That wasn't really too bad!" Mr. Crepsley turned to look at her and chuckled when he saw a trickle of blood running down from the corner of her mouth. He brought his hand up to her cheek and rubbed away the blood with his thumb.

Her cheeks flush at the contact. "Oh, thanks." She said, letting out a nervous giggle.

"You did very well. Are you ready to go back to camp?"

"Yes, sir," She responded, climbing onto his back.

They arrived back and went over to a field beside the cirque to continue their lessons for the night. "Do you think we could add the knives in tonight?" Ella asked him.

Mr. Crepsley looked at her shocked. "Are you sure?"

"Yes, sir. I think I'm ready." She smiled at him.

"Do not be afraid to hit me." He said seriously.

Ella felt her nerves creep up but quickly pushed them back down. She vowed she would no longer be weak. Her biggest flaw was her weakness. If she could fix that, she would have the ability to be an exceptional vampire.

He pulled out a knife from his coat and handed it to her. "We will take it easy first, then engage in actual combat. Just try to make contact with me tonight. If you can do that, we will advance further. Are you ready?"

She took her stance and nodded. He flitted beside her and she easily followed, but when it became time to attack, she swung the blade timidly at him. "You need to swing the knife like you mean it. Here, I'll show you. Take your stance." He said as he came around behind her. He placed one hand on her waist and the other covering the hand that was holding the knife. He was nearly an entire foot taller than her so he stooped down so that his head was level with hers. "Now grip it tightly and put some force into the swing, like you would do when you throw a punch. Like this." He tightened his grip on her hand, brought it up, and then powerfully brought it down. "You see how strong that felt?" He demonstrated with her again. "And swing all the way through. That's how you will do some damage on your opponent." He then turned his face in towards hers. "Do you think you have it?"

"Yes, sir." She said as she turned to face him as well. They then realized how close they really were, their faces only inches apart. Mr. Crepsley's ears turned red as he did a little cough and stepped away from her.

"Right, now show me." She took her stance, gripped the knife hard, and swong it down forcefully. "That was better. Remember, always strike like you mean it." She nodded and gave the signal she was ready to begin again. He advanced toward her and she attacked. He easily blocked every one of her moves. Over and over again.

They had been practicing close to an hour now with no success. No matter how much she concentrated and tracked his moves, he would always block her attacks. He flitted to her side again and she swong her knife harder than ever. When she missed this time, her frustration got the best of her. "Dammit!" She screamed. This the first time he has ever heard her swear. Then he realized he had never even seen her angry before. He almost laughed until he looked back at her to see absolute rage on her face. He knew if he laughed when she was serious, it would only infuriate her further. "I'm never going to get this! Every time I attack, you counter it! I'm hopeless!"

"You most certainly are not. Ask me this two months ago, and I would have agreed with you." She was staring at the knife in her hand still seething with fury. "Look at me." He said softly. She peeled her eyes off of the knife and looked up to glare at him. "You are not hopeless. You have improved more than I ever imagined you could have. Your anger shows me that you do care. You are not the same, weak child you were." Her face soften slightly. "Now, we are going to try again. You are focusing too much on the attack. Go back to what you learned before with tracking and predicting my moves. That's what you need to focus on."

"Fine. Let's try it." She muttered and took her stance. He smirked as he watched his student be overcome by determination. He started towards her and she attempted her attack. "Damn." She muttered as she missed him again.

"Anticipate my every move. Including my counter." He instructed. He once again made his move, which she easily tracked, and prepared to side step out of the way of her blade. This time, she countered with him and managed to knick him on his upper chest.

Her eyes widened and she stood shocked. "I did it!" She said breathily.

"Well done. I think this will be a good place to end our lessons tonight. You have made much improvement. I am proud of you." He said.

 _He's proud of me!_ Her heart soared at his words. She was so elated, she didn't even think before she threw her arms around him and closed the gap between them. He was taken off guard and didn't have time to respond before she took a step back. "Thank you, sir." She said, smiling up at him.

"You are welcome. Like I said, you are not the same person I met. Your drive to be better deserves a large credit to your success tonight."

"And the fact I have a great teacher." She said proudly.

"I thank you for that compliment." He was about to start walking in the direction of the cirque, but stopped when he noticed Ella didn't make a move to join him. He turned around to see her looking at him, hesitant about something. "You have a question." He stated.

She suddenly got really bashful and she looked down at the ground. "There is something... Not fighting related, but about vampires in general... Well, female vampires to be more specific..." She looked up at him. Her cheeks were flushed and Mr. Crepsley started to become slightly nervous, wondering where this was about to go.

"It's been two months now and I, uh, haven't had a period." She didn't give him time to respond as she nervously started rambling. "I mean, it's just starting to worry me because I've always been on schedule but then I thought maybe it was delayed since I only age at a fifth of the rate I did as a human so maybe it will start in a few months but then would that mean it would last longer than a week-"

"Ella, take a breath and let me explain." Mr. Crepsley started to sweat as he tried to think how to tell her this sensitive information. "Vampires are barren. We are not able to reproduce so you will not have a cycle."

Her eyebrows furrowed. "What do you mean we can't reproduce?" She said slowly. "You're telling me I can't have children?" She was getting angry. "Please tell me you're joking."

"I am sorry to inform you that this is no joke." He started to realize he should have mentioned this much earlier when he was educating her about their kind. "I should have told you about this before now. Forgive me, I forget how much the idea of having children means to females." They stood there in silence as he watched her try her hardest to fight back tears.

"As if my biggest dream hadn't been shattered already, now this one gets taken away, too." She sat down in the grass and pulled her knees up to her chest.

Mr. Crepsley sat down beside her. He started feel guilty. Not just because he failed to relay this information before now, but because he didn't know what her biggest dream even was. He never realized how little he did know about her. He knew about her father's passing and he knew she was close to her mother. He knew that she was going to audition for her dream school, but then fate stepped in. He figured she was involved with the arts in some way, but wasn't sure if she played an instrument or sang or something else of the sort. He did not know his assistant as well as he should and for that, he felt guilty.

"What was your biggest dream?" He finally asked her.

She looked at him confused. She thought he knew, but then thinking back, she had only really talked to Evra about it. "To study at Juilliard and one day join the Metropolitan Opera Company."

"Those are high ambitions. You must be good."

"I tried to be. I practiced a lot and I had the privilege to study voice under a retired member of the Met. She was absolutely amazing. I mean, her voice was flawless. I was really lucky to have been able to study under her." She smiled as she remembered her former teacher.

"Will you sing for me?" He blurted out before he had even realized what he said. He nervously scratched to long scar on his cheek. "I mean, if you are willing to sing, I would love to listen." He said more smoothly this time.

She turned to him slightly surprised. She had not sung since she had become a vampire. She just knew it wouldn't be the same anymore. At the same time though, she wanted Mr. Crepsley to see that side of her. "Ok, maybe just a little bit." She agreed. She decided to sing an excerpt from the song, _Nessun Dorma._ She turned to face him now and he saw how much this actually meant to her. With a big smile on her face she explained, "Now I know this song is meant for a male performer, but it is one of my absolute favorites. I'm going to start in the middle right before the climax."

She took a deep breath and began:

 _Ed il mio bacio scioglierà_

 _Il silenzio che ti fa mia!_

His jaw dropped as she sang the first verse. He didn't realize she would sound like that...

She paused before singing the last part and closed her eyes and allowed herself to be taken away by music once more.

 _Dilegua, o notte! Tramontate, stelle!_

 _Tramontate, stelle! All'alba vincerò!_

 _Vincerò! Vincerò!_

She hit the high note with such ease, yet it was powerful. They had both been completely consumed by the music. She opened her eyes and was brought back to reality.

They sat in silence for a while. He just couldn't find the right words to say. She looked up at the nighttime sky... and he looked at her. He was seeing her through a new light tonight. He felt like he finally understood her.


	6. Chapter 6

After her morning run, Ella and Evra began their chores like any other day. But little did they know, it was going to be anything but normal. They had just finished feeding the wolf-man when they saw the flickering light of a burning torch in the trees next to their camp.

"What is that?" Ella asked.

"Not sure." Evra said.

They watched for a few minutes as the torch came closer. As they came out of the trees, they saw who they were. There were about twelve small, blue-hooded people and one taller person in the back that was carrying the torch.

"Where did they come from?" She asked.

"I don't know. They left the show a while ago and I had no idea where they went." He answered.

"Who are they?"

"They're-," he began to answer, but stopped all of a sudden. His eyes widened in fear as he realized who the man was that was bringing up the rear.

It was a short, fat man with thick glasses and a bright yellow suit with green rubber boots. He smiled at them as they passed by. Ella returned his smile but Evra looked paralyzed. They watched as the blue-hooded figures found an open area in the camp and began to build a tent while the man headed for Mr. Tall's van.

Ella turned to face Evra and saw he was shaking all over and his face was paler than before.

"What's wrong?" She asked, now starting to worry.

"He... It..." Evra kept stuttering. "That was.. Mr. Tiny."

Ella was definitely confused. "Who's Mr. Tiny?"

"He's the leader of the Little People."

"The ones in the blue hoods?" She asked.

"Yup. He's their boss. " He explained. "He doesn't come here a lot, but he gives me the creeps when he does. He's the spookiest man I've ever met."

"He seemed nice to me." Ella shrugged as they arrived back to Evra's tent.

"That's what I thought the first I met him, too. But wait till you've spoken to him. Every time he looks at me, I feel like he's planning to slaughter, skin and roast me."

"He eats people?" Ella asked, freaked out.

"I don't know. But you get the feeling he wants to eat you. It's not just me. I've talked about it with other cirque members and they felt it, too. Even Mr. Tall gets fidgety when he's around." Evra explained.

"Are the Little People his slaves? Are they afraid of him, too?"

"I'm not sure... They don't speak. I'm not entirely sure their human."

"What are they then?" She asked slightly horrified.

"I don't know. I accidentally knocked down one of their hoods one time."

"What do they look like?"

"Hideous.. They have grey sewn-together skin and big green eyes that are placed on top of their head. They have no nose or ears. Their mouth is like a jagged cut and they don't look like they have any eyelids." Evra explained.

"That sounds terrifying!"

"It is. And they eat just about anything." He lowered his voice. "Even humans."

"Humans!? How do you know that?!"

"Bradley Stretch." He simply replied.

"Who?"

"He was a member of the Cirque years ago. He was able to stretch his body in impossible ways. He was really mean though. He loved playing horrible pranks on everyone, especially the Little People. He would set their capes on fire, set traps to have them hang in the air by their feet, and put thumb tacks in their food."

Ella gasped. "That's so cruel! Why was he so mean!?"

"I think it was because they never reacted. He liked to see people get upset, but the Little People didn't seem to notice his pranks...or so we thought." He continued. "Well, one night went performed a show at an Arabian place, where Bradley met a sheik. He told him he could never wear jewelry, because it always slipped off because of the changing shape of his body. So the sheik gave him a magic bracelet that was enchanted to only be removed when the wearer took it off.

"Getting back to the Little People: One morning we woke up and Bradley was nowhere to be found. People leave the cirque as they please, so we weren't really worried." He paused for dramatic effect. "About a week later, I was cleaning up the Little People's tent and was washing their pot. It was covered in grime and it took forever to scape all the meat and bones from it. When I got to the bottom, I saw something glistening."

He reached behind him and pulled out a round, gold bracelet from his bag. Ella gasped. "Is that Bradley's bracelet?!"

"The very one." He slipped it onto his arm and shook it around, trying to get it to fall off. When it didn't, he took it off and held it out for her to see.

"They ate him?!" She asked horrified. Evra nodded in affirmation. They sat in silence for a moment. "What did you do with the remains? Did you bury him?"

"Nah, I fed it to the wolf-man. Mr. Tall always told us not to waste." Ella went wide-eyed and looked at him terrified. Then suddenly, they burst into uncontrollable laughter.

Tears were streaming down their eyes. "We shouldn't be laughing!" Ella said through her fits. "I wonder what he tasted like!"

"I don't know but I bet he was rubbery!" Ella was now screaming in laughter.

In the middle of their hysteria, the tent flap opened and Hans walked in. "What's the joke?" He asked. They tried to tell him, but each time they started, they were interrupted by another round of laughter. Once they finally quieted down, Hans said why he was there. "I have a message for you. Mr. Tiny would like to see you both in Mr. Tall's van right away."

Their smiles faded and Hans let himself out. They remained silent as they left to find the van.

Mr. Tall, Mr. Crepsley, and were in the van when they entered. Evra was shaking like a leaf, but Ella wasn't really nervous. But when she saw the worried looks on Mr. Tall's and Mr. Crepsley's faces and realized how uneasy they were, it put her on edge a little.

"Come in, children," Mr. Tiny welcomed them, as though it were his van and not Mr. Tall's. "Sit down, make yourselves at home."

"I'll stand if that's ok," Evra said, trying not to let them hear the chatter of his teeth.

"I'll stand, too." Ella said, taking Evra's lead.

"As you wish." Mr. Tiny said. He was the only one sitting.

"I have been hearing a lot about you, young Ella." Mr . Tiny said while rolling a heart-shaped watch between his hands. "You are not the typical vampire. Larten says you have improved remarkably well in the past two months. Even drinking blood from a human now. I understand your reluctance to it though. Nasty stuff, blood. Unless of course it comes from a child. Their blood is scrump-dilly-icious."

Ella frowned. "You can't drink blood from them. They're too small. You would them!"

His eyes widened and so did his smile.

"So?" He asked softly.

A chill ran down her spine as she realized he was completely serious and she realized why this man was so feared. He was evil. Ella looked at Mr. Crepsley, trying to mask her horror. He seemed just as uncomfortable as she did.

"Down to business," Mr. Tiny said. "You two saw me arrive with my Little People. They're new converts to my cause and are a little unsure of the ropes. Normally, I'd stick around and teach them how to work, but I have business elsewhere. I'd like it if you two would help ease them into the swing of things. You won't have to do much. Mainly I want you to find food for them. They have such big appetites.

"So what do you say? I got permission from your guardians." He nodded and Mr. Tall and Mr. Crepsley, who didn't seem happy about the arrangement, but looked resigned. "Will you help poor old Mr. Tiny and his Little People?"

They both nodded their heads, even though they didn't really want to.

"Excellent! Young Evra knows what my darlings like, I'm sure. If you have any problems, report to Hibernius and he'll help you out."

Mr. Tiny waved for them to leave and then stopped. "Oh, and Ella?" He got up and walked over to her and she immediately tensed up. "Your future as a vampire will be hard, but don't get discouraged. Towards the end you will find yourself... enjoying it." Everyone watched as he turned to Mr. Crepsley and gave him a not so subtle wink. "You may all leave now." With that, they scurried out of the van.

"Ella?" Mr. Crepsley called to her before she could walk off with Evra. She said goodbye to her friend and walked over to her mentor. He could tell she was still shaken. He led her away from the van, wanting to put a distance between them and the evil man. "There will be no lessons tonight. Go ahead and get an early bed." She nodded in acknowledgement but he could tell her mind was wandering far off. "Are you ok?" He could always tell when something was on his assistant's mind.

"What is he? He drinks blood, but he's not a vampire because he kills... I would say a vampaneze, but he doesn't have the purple skin. " She asked, ignoring his question.

"I am afraid I do not quite know either to be honest. But I do think you are correct in assuming her is neither vampire nor vampaneze." He saw she was still in deep thought.

"Can he tell the future?" She asked, looking at him now.

Mr. Crepsley coughed nervously. "I do not quite know the answer to that either, but I have always wondered that as well. I think it is possible."

Ella nodded thoughtfully. "I wonder what he meant by-"

"Go off to bed now. You are going to need your rest." He cut her off in hopes he could send her off before she could continue that thought.

She nodded again. "Goodnight, sir." She muttered.

She walked off , leaving him alone to his thoughts. When she was gone, he whispered faintly. "Goodnight, Ella."

 **A/N Thank you so much for reading this story! This chapter was a blast from the past for me. It was one of my favorite moments in the second book and I felt like the story of Bradley really was a significant moment in Evra and Darren's friendship, so I really wanted to add it to this one.**

 **I have this entire story planned out and have even written a lot of the main parts, it's just a matter of me writing the fillers. Since it took me so long to update and since it wasn't really too much new material, I am going to update with a new chapter before the end of the weekend. Again, thank you so much for reading!**

 **~Ally**


	7. Chapter 7

**Disclaimer: I do not own the Cirque du Freak series.**

 _"Murlough was wondering when he would get his hands on you." It was dark and she could barely even make out any shadows, but Ella recognized the deep, gruff voice that has haunted her for four months now. She couldn't scream. She couldn't even move. Her eyes slowly started to adjust to the darkness and she was able to make out his horrifying face. Her breath caught in her throat and she saw his wicked smirk. He started towards her and she tried to counter him, but her back was already against a wall._

 _"Nowhere to run, love." He said lowly as he reached out to caress her soft cheek. Panic started to set in as she desperately looked around for Mr. Crepsley. Nothing. They were alone._

 _He took another step towards her and pressed his body against hers. He took his other hand behind her back and ran it downward. "Please.. don't" She begged as tears started to spill from her eyes._

 _Suddenly, she saw something glowing out of the corner of her eye. She focused her eyes to see a person rolling a heart-shaped watch in his hands. "Mr. Tiny!" Ella exclaimed, slightly relieved. The short man chuckled and his words echoed throughout the small room_

 _"...Your future as a vampire will be hard..."_

 _"So hard..." Murlough whispered in her ear as he pressed his hips onto her, forcing her to feel his erection._

 _She whimpered as she looked back to Mr. Tiny only to find him gone and replaced with Mr. Crepsley. "Thanks the gods!" She whispered. Still trapped by the vampaneze, she reached out to her mentor. But he didn't move._

 _"So weak..." She heard him say. She felt as if her heart had stopped. She looked back at Murlough to see him slowly leaning his head downward to her lips. She frantically looked back to her mentor, only to find he had disappeared. Yet, his words still echoed in her head._

 _"... So weak... So weak..."_

Ella woke drenched in sweat. Her eyes were still wets with tears. That wasn't the first time she had a nightmare about Murlough, but it was the first time Mr. Tiny and Mr. Crepsley were in it. _Does Mr. Crepsley really see me as weak?_ She thought. She hasn't give him much reason to think otherwise... He did say once that he was proud of her and that she had come a long way. She has changed.

If he saw her now, though, he would be disappointed. She was crying from a bad dream. She didn't want to admit to herself how often she did that. If Mr. Crepsley knew, then he would definitely say she was weak. She's probably the weakest vampire in the entire history of vampires. What a disappointment she is!

She has spent every day working on her physical strength, but now she needs to work on her _emotional_ strength. She vowed to herself that she will never give Mr. Crepsley a reason to think her weak any more.

That night, the cirque prepared for yet another show. Ella did her part by helping to set everything up while the performers were in their tents getting ready. While she was setting up a booth of merchandise to sell, a little person tugged on her shirt. She turned around to see him motion for her to follow him. The Little People had been with them for two months now. She wasn't too fond of finding dead animals for them to eat, but she was beginning to get used to it.

He led her into Mr. Crepsley's van where she found him waiting for her. "How would you like to be my assistant on stage tonight?" He asked with a slight smile.

Ella gasped and he could see the excitement in her eyes. "Really?! I would love to! What would I get to do?" She asked.

"Well you can bring Madame Octa on and let me perform tricks on you. I have milked most of her venom so if something were to happen and she were to bite, you would not die. I just thought you might enjoy the chance to be on the stage and do something different for once."

"Yes! Oh my goodness thank you!" She said cheerfully. "I'm so excited!..." She started rambling. Soon, he wasn't even listening to her words. Normally when children maundered on, it would annoy him. But with her, it was completely different. He was watching her hand gestures and the joy on her face. He noticed how dimples formed on each side of her cheeks as she smiled. _She is absolutely precious._ He mentally slapped himself when he realized his thoughts. How inappropriate! What was wrong with him? Ella was beautiful, pure, and innocent. She was a rare creature to be found in today's world. So sweet and modest. Other cirque members has tried flirting with her but she always seemed oblivious to them. He realized that he hadn't heard a word she was saying and tuned back in time to hear her ask a question. "...Oh gosh, what will I wear?"

"Oh uh," he quickly composed himself. "Go back to your tent. I have asked Truska to assist you with your costume and makeup." He said plainly and ushered her out.

When Truska was finished with Ella, she did not recognize herself. Her long brown hair was pulled into an up-do with loose curls framing her face. She had put eye shadow and mascara on to bring out her light blue eyes. Her lips were colored red that matched the dress that she was wearing. It was a simple dress, but very sexy. It was a long sleeve, off shoulder, and tight while the bottom flared out just above her knees. She looked way older than 17, and she felt very uncomfortable about that. But she didn't want to hurt Truska's feelings because she was the one who had made the dress.

Whe the time came, Ella made her way to the large tent they were going to be performing in. Leah, one of the on-stage assistants, noticed her when she walked up and cat-called to her. "Damn, girl! You are looking sexy!" Ella giggled and ignored the comment so she hopefully wouldn't elaborate.

"Have you seen Mr. Crepsley? The show is about to start!"

"I haven't, love." Leah smirked as if she knew something and walked off.

The show was beginning so she went backstage to wait. When it was Evra's turn, she crept to the side wings to watch her friend perform. She was unaware of the presence that stood behind her.

Mr. Crepsley had been watching her since she arrived to the tent. She took his breath away. "You look beautiful." He said. Startled, she spun around and caught her foot in a rope and would have crashed to the ground if it wasn't for the strong arms that had wrapped around her to catch her.

Ella lifted her eyes to meet his. Butterflies formed in her stomach for reasons she didn't understand. "Thank you." She replied, not knowing if she was responding to his compliment or for catching her. He took the opportunity to examine her up close. Truska had used makeup to subtly bring out her mesmerizing eyes and a touch of rouge on her plump lips. She definitely did not look like a child.

They then heard applause and saw Evra walk off the stage. He did a double take when he saw the two so close together. Mr. Crepsley snapped to his senses and then flitted onto the stage. _This is ridiculous. She's my student!_ He shifted his focus to put her out of his mind and began the introductions.

Ella ran backstage to retrieve the spider and returned back to the wings and waited for her cue to come on. "And now I would like to introduce to you Madam Octa being brought on by my lovely assistant, Ella." The crowd applauded and whistled as she came onto the stage and Mr. Crepsley smiled. Ella sat the spider's cage on the table and opened it while he retrieved the flute from his pocket.

He put the tin whistle up to his lips and began to play. Ella saw Madam Octa come in her direction so she put out a hand to allow her to climb onto her. She kept her arm extended out to allow the spider to swing and do her tricks. The crowd oohed and ahhhed at the miraculous creature.

When Mr. Crepsley was commanding Madam Octa to do her tricks on the props, Ella took a moment to look out into the crowd. She felt good being on the stage again. Even if she wasn't singing famous opera arias, for a few brief minutes, she felt as if nothing had changed.

She imagined her mom in the audience applauding for her in the front row like she always had. But then the applause died down and her mom was no where to be found. She wanted to cry. Her breathing intensified and she was starting to panic.

Suddenly, she felt someone grab her hand. She turned to look and saw Mr. Crepsely staring deep into her eyes with concern. She snapped back into reality and smiled at the audience. They took a bow together and he gently led her off the stage as the next act came on.

Still hand in hand, he led her outside to get some fresh air. The night air was cool against her. They stood under the night sky alone with the distant sound of the audience in the background.

She looked at her concerned mentor. She decided to tell him what was on her mind. "For a brief second on the stage... I had expected to see my mom. She was always there to support me, and now she's gone. Rather, I'm gone..." Her voice trailed off. She felt tears stinging her eyes but quickly blinked them away. She then remembered her vow to not show Mr. Crepsley her weakness any more. "But it's ok." She shook her head. "I'm ok." She removed her hand from his and turned to walk away.

Mr. Crepsley knew she wasn't. He reached to her shoulder and turned her around. "It is alright to not be ok." Her features remained unmoving.

"No really, I'm fine." She said offering him a smile. She intended to keep that promise she made to herself. She pushed all previous thoughts out of her mind and focused on the here and now. "I had a great time tonight. It was fun being your assistant _on stage_ , too."

He knew she was trying to change the subject. It kind of hurt him to think that she did not trust him to view her emotions as he once did. What had changed? She was so open to him before and always spoke what was on her mind, but now she's closing him off?

"Are you sure?..." He asked uncertainly.

"Promise." Before she turned to leave, she closed the gap between them and stood on her toes and gently kissed him on his cheek. "Thank you." She told him, still smiling. His face flushed as he stood slightly stunned while he watched his assistant walk away.

 **A/N sorry it took so long to post a new chapter!**


	8. Chapter 8

**A/N Thank you so much to my 2 new followers! I got so excited about that and it encouraged me to keep going. I hope you enjoy this chapter! Its a bit longer than the last few and was really fun to write!**

"Wake up!" It was time for their morning chores but Evra came into Truska and Ella's tent early to wake her.

"Mmmrrffff." Ella mumbled as she rolled over in her cot and pulled the covers over her head.

"Ella, wake up!" Evra pulled the pillow out from from under her head and started beating her with it. "Wake up, I have to tell you something!" She groaned in frustration and eventually threw the covers off and stole the pillow from him.

"Evra! You annoying prick! What do you possibly need to tell me so urgently!?" She was now sitting up in the bed with her wild hair sticking out in every direction. Evra broke out into a huge grin. "Well?" She asked again.

"Happy birthday!" He shouted enthusiastically as he threw his arms into the air.

"What? It's not..." Ella let out a huge groan. "It's Friday. My birthday. Uggghhhhh!" She let out as she fell back onto the bed.

"I just wanted to let you know to not worry about your chores today, I got them covered, and go back to sleep and catch up on your rest. You're going to need it for your party tonight!"

"Party? That's not necessary I-" but Evra cut her off.

"Of course it is! We always throw a party when it's a member's birthday and you're no exception!"

"You people are going to kill me." Ella grumbled.

"Well good thing you're practically immortal. Go back to sleep. And Ella?"

She looked up at him. "Happy birthday!"

She sighed reluctantly. "Thank you, Evra."

...

"Here you go, love, drink this!" Leah gave Ella a shot glass full of some strong smelling, clear liquid. She soon realized it was alcohol.

"Oh, uh, no thank you. I'm only 18 and I've never really had a drink before." She said kind of nervously.

"Oh come on its your birthday! You need to loosen up. You're about as stiff as your mentor over there." Ella chuckled as she glanced at Mr. Crepsley who was now glaring at them. He was already in a foul mood because he had no idea it was even her birthday when he woke up. If it weren't for Hibernius, he still wouldn't have probably known until a few minutes ago. He had just woken up and didn't even have the chance to give her birthday wishes to her yet. "Try it. You only turn 18 once!"

Everyone was now watching now Hans started chanting, "Ella, Ella, Ella!" and soon the rest of the cirque joined in. She knew this would probably continue on until she gave in. With one final look towards her mentor, she brought the glass up to her lips and threw it back. The liquid burned her throat, causing her to violently start coughing. Leah laughed as the rest of the cirque cheered her on.

"See that wasn't so bad was it?" Leah asked.

"That was absolutely repulsive." She said, still coughing. Mr. Crepsley shook his head, trying his hardest not to smile.

"You want another?" Leah asked, feigning innocence. Ella slowly turned her head towards her and raised an eyebrow. "Ok, ok I got it... You do want another! I'll be right back."

"No, Leah! Ughh." She growled in defeat as Leah skipped away. "She's going to get me drunk."

"I think that's her plan!" Evra laughed. "But I heard that vampires have a higher tolerance for alcohol."

"Yeah, but look at how small she is. Plus the fact that she's never had a drink before won't help." Hans said coming towards them now. He put a hand on her shoulder. "So you'll probably get drunk before the end of the night."

Ella laughed nervously when Leah came back with another shot. "Drink up!"

"This is the last one, ok?" She said as she took the shot and downed it quickly. This time she gagged. "Ugh that's so disgusting!" She looked back to Leah who now had a mischievous look on her face. "I'm serious Leah, if I have another, I would barf!"

"Ok, ok... I get it. No more shots."

"Thank you." Ella said.

"Hey I think you need to open your birthday present!" Evra exclaimed, changing the subject.

"Yeah!" Hans said excitedly as the other cirque members gathered around her.

Evra handed Ella a small box that was neatly wrapped. She opened it up to find a iPod in it. "Oh my gosh how perfect!" She picked it up and turned it on to find there were a lot of albums already downloaded on it. "I've been dying to listen to something again... Ever since that night, I felt a part of me missing... Music was my everything." She said, trying not to sound sad.

"We heard you humming all the time and thought you would like something to hum along to. We all chipped in to get it for you and Evra picked out the music." Hans told her with a big smile on his face.

"Yes it's perfect!" She exclaimed. "And you have some of my favorites on here... Debussy, Brahms, Broadway shows... Oh you got Puccini's entire opera of _Turandot_? It's my favorite! I've never actually seen it live but I've watched a million recordings of it and had all the CD's. This is so great!" She looked at Evra. "Thank you." She whispered gratefully to him. Then she turned to address everyone. "Thank you all so, so much!" She moved to hug each member individually and thank them again. Mr. Crepsley stood off to the side, feeling guilty for not having given her a gift as well.

Leah appeared next to Ella with a drink. "Here you go!" She said joyfully as the thrusted the cup into her hand.

"What is it? Not more alcohol is it?"

Leah laughed and said, "Just drink it, I guarantee you will not taste any alcohol in it." Ella took a sip, and after the two shots she had, she really didn't taste the alcohol in this drink.

"Ok who's ready for some spin the bottle!" Leah shouted. Hans and a few other of the male cirque members agreed and cheered at the idea. Evra and Ella looked a little uneasy.

"That's the kissing game, right?" Ella asked. "I don't think I should pl-"

"Oh come on it doesn't have to be a make-out kiss, it can just be a little chicken peck. Not really a big deal."

"It is for me.." She whispered.

"Oh, I'm sure you've kissed a ton of guys before, it's really not-"

"I haven't." She interrupted and took another sip of her cocktail.

"... You haven't? You mean you just haven't kissed a ton of guys?" Leah asked slightly flabbergasted.

"No, I have never kissed anyone _at all_." This caught everyone's attention now. Including Mr. Crepsley.

"Why on earth not? You're gorgeous!"

Ella's cheeks turned red with embarrassment. "Oh, uh, thank you" She frantically searched her mind for a response. "I just want it to be special... With someone I love. I don't know, it's just always been something that meant a lot to me. I want my first kiss to be with someone special."

"Ok, ok I get it..." Leah paused for a second. "But don't you ever have the urge to have se-"

"OKK! I think you've embarrassed the poor girl enough! No spin the bottle." Hans thankfully interceded. Mr. Crepsley's ears were about as red as his hair now. He was relieved to hear she would not be partaking in such juvenile games such as spin the bottle. But that relief was short lived when Leah spoke again.

"Well how about truth or dare? That doesn't have to have any sexual contact in it... Though that would make it more fun..."

"Ok, I guess that will be fun." Ella looked timidly at Evra who looked almost as uncomfortable as she did with all this talk.

"Ok everyone get in a circle!" Almost everyone did except for an obvious few. "Now birthday girl gets to go first!"

"Oh great." Ella muttered. She glanced over to her mentor to see him glaring at her, aggravated. This made her giggle for some reason as she looked back at Leah.

"Ella, truth or dare." She asked grinning.

"Truth." As soon as she said it Leah and a few others groaned.

"Ugh you're no fun! Fine, fine... Uh now I have to think of something.. Anyone have any ideas?" Leah asked and they took a few seconds to think. "Wait no, I got a good one!" She exclaimed. Ella started to grow nervous. "Ok, Ella. Do you currently have a crush on anyone?"

Some people scooted up to the edge of their seats to hear her answer better. She knew she was going to disappoint them when she told them 'no'. "Of course not-" but she stopped and remembered the times she felt butterflies in her stomach... and the way she would blush when she was physically close to him... She couldn't possibly have a crush on... her teacher? No, no that's completely inappropriate! But her thoughts were interrupted.

"Look!" Leah shouted excitedly! "She _does_ have a crush on someone!" Mr. Crepsley sat back in his chair and folded his arms. There were quiet murmurs amongst the group that stopped when Leah asked, "Well, who is it?"

"No, no, no! That wasn't a part of the question! I won't answer!" The crowd aww-ed at her response.

"Fine... We'll have to get you later... Alexander! Truth or dare?" As their game continued Ella, continued to sip on the drink that was given to her. She didn't realize Leah was sneaking off and refilling her cup every now and then. Soon, she started to get really giggly!

The game was innocent enough filled with silly dares that everyone had fun doing. Ella knew she couldn't pick 'truth' again, because she knew they would make her reveal her crush. She thought a lot about this, but she knew it was a silly little school-girl crush. I mean, wasn't it normal for girl to have feelings towards her teacher? That's all this was. Had to be. It doesn't mean anything...

As the night drew on and the game began to get dull, they turned the radio up and listened to the music. "Oh I haven't heard this song in years... Come on everyone, let's dance!" Ella stood up and grabbed Evra and Leah's hands. She felt a bit wobbly at first from the alcohol, but soon steadied herself and started jumping up and down with her hair swinging wildly around her. Leah giggled and she and Evra joined her. More cirque members joined in on the fun and danced with them.

Mr. Crepsley still stayed firmly planted in his seat and watched the absurdities around him. "Children." He scoffed, but then he was surprised to see Hibernius was in on the lunacy as well. Normally, he wouldn't have stayed this long if it were any other Cirque party, but Ella was involved and was quite intoxicated at this point. He needed to stay and make sure she remained safe.

Another song started and Ella noticed the Little Person with a limp, who they called Lefty, standing off to the side watching everyone. Mr. Crepsley watched as she approached the creature. "Would you like to dance, too?" She asked with a smile and offered her hand to him. The Little Person hesitated but took her hand as she led him to the crowd. Some Cirque members stopped dancing to watch. Ella grabbed Lefty's other hand, too, and started jumping and moving to the beat of the music. The Little Person did the same, eliciting cheers from the other members. Mr. Crepsley smirked at the strange scene. He couldn't help but to think of her heart of gold. She always felt the need to love everyone and include others. This one young person held so much kindness, and though it didn't necessarily blend in with the vampire culture, he couldn't help but to be proud of his assistant.

As the song was coming to an end, Ella spotted Mr. Crepsley and went over to him. Still dancing, she asked, "Come on, Mr. Crepsley, dance with us!"

He folded his arms over his chest and sneered. "I think not." He felt she was acting completely ridiculous to even ask.

"Aww you really need to loosen up! It's fun! See?!" He looked up in time to see her spin around with her hands in the air. Only, she lost her footing and would have stumbled right into Rhamus, but Mr. Crepsley stood up and pulled her into him. They both blushed as they locked eyes. _Once again she is in my arms, he thought._

The next song played and as luck would have it, it was a slow song. Ella, in her drunken state, boldly brought her arms up around his neck. She looked innocently into his eyes and whispered, "dance with me." She didn't ask this time.

 _How could I possibly say no to that?_ This girl was going to kill him. He didn't take his eyes off of hers as he brought his hands up to her waist and started swaying. He wondered who it was that she had a crush on. _It's probably Evra_ , he thought. Especially since she has such a soft spot for those that are different. He refused to recognize the disappointment he felt at this realization. He tried to think of something to say to her, but his words failed. He just continued to look into her starlit eyes.

As they were swaying, Ella's vision started swirling even more than before. But she couldn't strain her eyes away from Mr. Crepsley's. _He's so handsome for an older man_ , she thought. Ella knew it was inappropriate to have these thoughts, but she couldn't stop herself. It was just the alcohol affecting her, right? Each sway she got more and more dizzy.

It wasn't even halfway through the song before her eyes closed and she passed out, falling into Mr. Crepsley. Without a second thought, he scooped her up bridal-style. He walked over to Evra and Leah with Ella in his arms. "I think she is done for tonight. I will take her to her tent." He told them slightly annoyed. He turned away from them, carrying his assistant away from the vexatious Cirque members.

Truska was still at the party so when they arrived at the tent, they were alone. He walked over to Ella's cot and laid her down and pulled the covers up around her. He sat down on the side of the bed next to her sleeping form and looked at the innocent young child-no...woman, before him. She looked so at peace with her hair splayed around her soft face. He felt guilty that he did not know it was her birthday, but felt even more guilty that he had not given her a present.

With one last look at the sleeping girl, he slowly bent down and gently pressed his lips on her forehead and whispered a quiet, "happy birthday," and rose to leave the tent. He flitted to the nearest city and decided he would try to find the perfect gift for her. Better late than never is what they always say, isn't it? He walked down the streets looking into the windows of the stores for hours trying to find something worthy for his assistant.

Mr. Crepsley was about to give up when he saw it: A billboard that contained the perfect gift for his Ella. The luck of the vampires was truly with him! Mr. Tiny could not have planned it better himself! He made a note to come back in the morning when they open so he can present it to her tomorrow. He smiled to himself knowing that he could not have found anything better.


End file.
